Basic Information & Location
Established more than 90 years ago, Canford is a top co-educational public school located in Dorset in the southwest England, surrounded by 250 acres of immaculate, landscaped parkland with a castle designed by Charles Barry. The school is a Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) school as well as a member of the Eton Group. The school may not be popular among Hong Kong circles but it is widely favoured by UK students. Apart from A-Level, it also offers Cambridge Pre-U programme in Sixth Form. The admission process is relatively strict. Sometimes it requires students to have interview in the UK. Canford is awarded as one of the “Public school of the year” by Tatler in 2014.
Academic Development
Canford School aims to inspire young people to use their educational experience to make positive difference to their own lives, and to the lives of others. It places great importance on recruiting and developing high quality staff and students have excellent academic achievement. In average, more than 80% of students achieved A*-B in A-Level and Pre-U in the past five years. Among them, more than 45 students were accepted by Oxford University and Cambridge University.
Pastoral Care & Boarding
Most of students board at Canford, nearly 70% of boarding students choose to stay in school each weekend to enjoy different activities. There are four houses for boys and three for girls. The school believes good communication within the triangle of child, parent and school is the key of successful pastoral care. Each house team led by the Housemaster or Housemistress and including tutors and domestic staff cares deeply about the students.
Extracurricular & personal development
Throughout their time at Canford, students are offered numerous opportunities outside the classroom to develop the intellect and imagination. The school offers a varied programme of co-curricular activities. Highlights of the annual programme are the “Festival of Ideas” in October and the post-GCSE “Cultural Immersion” for Year 11 students. There are plenty of beach trips as the school is located less than 30-minute drive from the coast. The school has a culture of community service with students working on more than 30 community action programmes a year.
